Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Month (AANHPI) 2026

Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In May, we honor and celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders who have shaped the history of the United States and are crucial to the country’s future. In the late ‘70s, the 95th Congress passed multiple joint resolutions to commemorate two historic dates—the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was built in large part by Chinese immigrants. The month was expanded to include Pacific Islanders in 2009 and Native Hawaiians in 2021.